Tag Archives: New Zealand

Ever consider the delights of top-quality peanut butter? The style (with no sugar) that is dense with spreadable crunch and oozing with the rich taste and aroma of freshly roasted peanuts? Kiwi Pic Picot certainly has. Since founding Pic’s Really Good Peanut Butter Co. in his garage in Nelson, NZ back in 2008 he is now the best-selling (and best loved) peanut butter in New Zealand. Pic’s is now conquering California with availability in Pavilions, Gelson’s and Bristol Farms.

“In 2008 I sold 48 jars to our local supermarket and took to the road. Within a year you could buy Pic’s in 50 outlets around the country. Then we were picked up by both of NZ’s supermarket chains and suddenly Pic’s was available pretty much anywhere in New Zealand.” – Pic Picot

Just launched in Nelson is Pic’s Peanut Butter World, a new 25,000 square foot production facility designed to also accommodate comprehensive factory tours as a tourist attraction. It doubles Pic’s previous production capabilities. At capacity Pic’s can now produce up to 50,000 jars of smooth or crunchy peanut butter per day!

Opening Day an overflow crowd of 6,000 mostly locals toured Pic’s Peanut Butter World. Among the excited guests was the principal Australian farmer who supplies raw, hi-oleic peanuts to Pic’s.

Our esteemed wine expert, Kyle Meyer of Santa Ana’s Wine Exchange joins us for two commentaries. You’ve been seeing them on the wines from Australia and New Zealand for awhile and now screw caps on premium wine are becoming more common on domestic wines for very sound reasons.

Wines sealed with screw caps can actually age with grace. A cork is perhaps more romantic but it proven not to be the best closure for wine.

Ever consider the delights of top quality peanut butter? The style (with no sugar) that is dense with spreadable crunch and oozing with the rich taste and aroma of freshly roasted peanuts? Kiwi Pic Picot certainly has. Since founding Pic’s Really Good Peanut Butter Co. in his garage in Nelson, NZ back in 2008 he is now the best-selling (and best loved) peanut butter in New Zealand. Pic’s is now conquering California with availability in Pavilions, Gelson’s and Bristol Farms.

“In 2008 I sold 48 jars to our local supermarket and took to the road. Within a year you could buy Pic’s in 50 outlets around the country. Then we were picked up by both of NZ’s supermarket chains and suddenly Pic’s was available pretty much anywhere in New Zealand.” – Pic Picot

Today, in two bursting-at-the-seams peanut butter works in Nelson, Pic’s produces some 20,000 jars a day. A new 25,000 square foot production facility is under construction designed to accommodate comprehensive factory tours.

Ever consider the delights of top quality peanut butter? The style (with no sugar) that is dense with spreadable crunch and oozing with the rich taste and aroma of freshly roasted peanuts? Kiwi Pic Picot certainly has. Since founding Pic’s Really Good Peanut Butter Co. in his garage in Nelson, NZ back in 2008 he is now the best-selling (and best loved) peanut butter in New Zealand. Pic’s is now conquering California with availability in Pavilions, Gelson’s and Bristol Farms.

“My Mum and Auntie had made a bit of peanut butter when I was little. They’d both bought a new Vitamix and peanut butter was one of the cool things you could make with them. Anyway, I bought a few kilos of peanuts, roasted them in the oven and squished them up with a bit of salt, blowing up my cheap modern blender in the process.”

“But the peanut butter was beautiful. A million times nicer than the stuff I’d got used to. I filled a few jars for friends, and one of my twelve year old son’s mates liked it so much he bought a jar with his pocket money.”

“I was fifty- five, going a bit blind (macular degeneration runs in the family) and had just had to close a little Laundromat that had been earning me a couple of hundred dollars a week. I figured if I could make 30 jars of peanut butter on Friday morning I could sell it at our farmers market on Friday afternoon and get my $200 back.”

“So that’s what I did. I made a roaster out of a concrete mixer and bought a bench top grinder and a tonne of peanuts from Australia and got to work.” –Pic Picot

Cameron Douglas enjoys the distinction of being New Zealand’s first certified Master Sommelier. He serves on the Board for the Court of Master Sommeliers Americas. He takes his position as unofficial Ambassador for New Zealand wine very seriously. Cameron is an experienced wine writer, commentator, judge, reviewer, presenter and consultant.

Cameron also serves as the curator for NZ Wine Navigator. There is lots more to know about premium New Zealand wines than simply the big name grassy, Sauvignon Blancs that have earned the country deserved global acclaim.

Cameron Douglas enjoys the distinction of being New Zealand’s first certified Master Sommelier. Cameron also serves as the curator for NZ Wine Navigator. He continues…

“At NZ Wine Navigator, you’ll find the largest selection of artisanal New Zealand wines available in the US. Selected by Master Sommelier Cameron Douglas, these wines demonstrate the finest our little country has to offer. We work directly with family-estates and small producers to hand pick each wine you see, so you can explore new wines with confidence.”

“New Zealand is blessed with an outstanding array of independent winemakers, all heroically forging their own path, rather than towing the corporate line. Made up of old heads, young guns, and mavericks, not one of them fits the old school model.”

“At NZ Wine Navigator, we believe that attention to detail, knowledge, intuition, and experience show through to the glass. Because of the way we work—a changing selection from small producers with a limited capacity—our list is limited to extraordinary wines. These are the wines we drink. We hope you love them as much as we do.”

Fruits and vegetables are delightfully moving to the center of the plate in more and more restaurants. Chef are intrigued with the possibilities. What produce items were hot in 2017? What’s now trending for 2018? Our resident Prince of Produce, the esteemed RobertSchueller of Melissa’s World Variety Produce, joins us with all the delicious and farm-fresh intel.

Kiwano Melon is one of the Top 10 specialty produce items for 2017 based on sales. Once grown only in New Zealand, Melissa’s Kiwano Melons are now grown in California as well. Consumers are drawn to these intriguing, yet versatile tropical fruits whose look easily captures attention. The spiky, orange colored shells of Kiwano Melons encase a soft, succulent bright green flesh. Melissa’s Kiwano Melons are mild in flavor and similar in taste to juicy, seed-filled cucumbers. Once peeled, Melissa’s Kiwano Melons can be tossed in fresh fruit salads or served as a garnish with roasted meats.

There is a new, exciting variety of Dragon Fruit coming into the marketplace from Ecuador. It’s pleasantly sweet and yellow-skinned.

For the Southern Hemisphere competition 101 oils were evaluated from 45 producers in Australia, New Zealand and South America. The judging yielded 82 awards.

Now in its 17th year, the Los Angeles International Olive Oil Competition is the top ranking EVOO competition in the United States and fifth worldwide. The goal is to bring together the highest standards of integrity and professionalism in awarding medals to the best oils from around the globe.

Expect to stumble into wine country in the heart of Orange County. Hip, vibrant and sophisticated, The Winery Restaurant & Wine Bar showcases the best of the wine country with unique and refreshing food and wine offerings at three locations in Southern California – Newport Beach, Tustin, and La Jolla.

Executive Chef & Partner, Yvon Goetz, directs a culinary team that delivers a cutting-edge menu featuring contemporary California regional cuisine. Using the freshest ingredients and products available, the menu features line-caught fish flown in daily. The Winery’s Tustin and La Jolla locations even feature strikingly designed kitchens that enable diners to watch the Chefs in action!

Each location of The Winery Restaurant & Wine Bar also features The Cellar, a large-scale temperature-controlled, state-of-the-art wine cellar that can be toured by guests who wish to get the full Winery Experience!

Each dining room offers a combination of comfortable booth and table seating custom-designed to create the most comfortable experience. In addition, The Winery Restaurant & Wine Bar offers private dining rooms, which can also be utilized as Chef’s tasting rooms, as well as spaces for corporate meetings and presentations. Each restaurant is equipped with state-of-the-art audio-visual equipment with video screens.

The bar area at each location has been noted for its stunning design, complete with plush bar stools that make Happy Hour a must try!

Each restaurant has been noted for its Vineyard Patio, often the setting for Wine Maker Dinners, Beer & Cigar Dinners, and other special events. Each features waterproof awnings and fireplaces that ensure an open-air dining experience year-round.

The Winery Restaurant is also one of the few to feature a designated cigar patio at its Tustin and Newport Beach locations. Referred to as the Havana, this separate humidor patio, with plush seating, offers an array of premium cigars for the cigar aficionado.

Offering the best in service and a variety of settings under one roof, The Winery Restaurant & Wine Bar provides the perfect backdrop for any occasion, from intimate dinners and private celebrations, to holiday gatherings, elegant events, and corporate receptions and meetings.